Washington, D.C. – At 12:35 AM +07 on Monday, May 19, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel has ignited a firestorm with his announcement of newly uncovered evidence related to the so-called Russiagate hoax, the investigation into alleged ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian interference. Patel, speaking on the Benny Johnson show on May 18, declared, “I’m telling you and the American public… We have found material, information, and people who wanted to hide it from the world since we got in these seats,” suggesting a conspiracy to obscure the truth about the probe’s origins.
Patel, who was confirmed as FBI Director on February 20 after a contentious Senate battle, has long positioned himself as a crusader against what he calls the “Deep State.” A Trump loyalist, he played a key role in drafting the 2018 Nunes Memo, which alleged FBI abuses in surveilling Trump campaign aide Carter Page during the Russia investigation. That memo, while controversial, was later partially validated by a 2019 Department of Justice Inspector General report that found 17 instances of FBI procedural errors in the Page case, though it rejected claims of political bias. Patel’s latest statement builds on his narrative that the Russia probe—known as Crossfire Hurricane—was a politically motivated “hoax” orchestrated by Democrats and rogue officials to undermine Trump.
The announcement comes amid Patel’s ongoing efforts to reshape the FBI, an agency he has both criticized and now leads. Since taking office, Patel has targeted perceived adversaries, placing FBI analyst Brian Auten on leave in April after naming him in his 2023 book Government Gangsters as part of a “Deep State” list. Critics, including former CIA analyst Emily Harding, have warned of politicization, noting a “cowed” oversight ecosystem, per a February Politico report. Patel’s history of promoting conspiracy theories—like his past flirtation with QAnon ideas and his $25,000 payment from a Kremlin-linked filmmaker in 2024 for an anti-FBI documentary—has fueled concerns about his impartiality.
Trump allies have rallied behind Patel’s claims. Former House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes, now head of Trump’s Truth Social, told Fox News in December 2024 that Patel was “instrumental in unraveling the Russia collusion hoax,” citing evidence of government surveillance abuses. Posts on X echo this sentiment, with users like
@bennyjohnson amplifying Patel’s announcement, framing it as a promise of “accountability” for those who allegedly suppressed the truth. However, specifics about the new evidence remain scarce, raising questions about its credibility and timing.
Skeptics argue Patel’s announcement is more political theater than substance. The Mueller report, concluded in 2019, found no criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia, though it confirmed Russian interference to boost Trump—a finding corroborated by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee’s 2020 report. A 2023 Durham investigation, initiated to probe the FBI’s actions, found no major criminal plot, undermining Patel’s broader conspiracy claims. Legal experts like Georgetown’s David Cole have dismissed related allegations as lacking legal grounding, especially in cases like the recent Comey probe over an alleged Trump threat.
Patel’s tenure, marked by his push to “expose corruption,” as he vowed on Fox News in November 2024, has already strained the FBI’s reputation for independence. His focus on Russiagate, alongside Trump’s influence—he attended Trump’s January 20 inauguration parade—suggests a broader agenda to rewrite the narrative of Trump’s first term. Yet, without concrete evidence, Patel’s claims risk being seen as a distraction from pressing issues, like the U.S. credit rating downgrade on May 16.
